Vasana Kelum de Mel is in Sri Lanka on a
Fulbright schol doing Ph.D. in Ethnomusicology from the University of
California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Her five months stay will end in March. Within
that time she hopes to finish her dissertation in 'Music as symbol, Music as
emissary: a study of Baila and Calypso in Sri Lanka'.

"Since Sri Lanka was colonised by
three European powers, we have lot of mixes inherited from them," says
Vasana.

"Baila and Calypso are the most
significant influences from Portuguese, which still exist in different formats.

Though rituals and traditions of Sri
Lanka have been studied and highlighted internationally, this aspect of society
has not yet been featured. So I thought it would be an important as well as an
interesting area to study," she said.

Vasana is the daughter of Nihal de Mel
and the niece of Dulip de Silva, members of the well known 70s group 'Los
Flemencos'.

"I started to learn piano music from
my mother from the age of five and I am still continuing," she smiled.

The de Mel family is today settled in
USA. Vasana got her Bachelor of Music (B.M. - piano performance) from the
University of Colorado, Boulder in USA in 1994. And in 1998 she got the M.A. in
Ethnomusicology from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) where she
continues with her Ph.D.

Ethnomusicology

Vasana was employed as a lecturer at the
UCLA since 1996, on completion of her B.M.degree "Ethnomusicology is
essentially a study of folk music of non-western cultures. This was started as a
subject for the first time in the UCLA itself in 1953. Recently it branched out
to include popular music comprising the in-between musical chords like 'Baila
and Calypso'," she explained.

"I felt this would be an interesting
subject because if you put 'Baila and Calypso' on a slide and magnify them on a
microscope you will see a microcosm of Sri Lankan society at the historical,
political and cultural level," she said.

Vasana's research is divided into three
spheres. They are 'Manja', the Baila custom found in the Kaberi community in
Sallan Kandal colony in Puttalam; 'Vada Baila'(debate Baila) custom found in the
southern area ; Mount Lavinia, Lakshapathiya - Moratuwa and Panadura; and Chorus
Baila which is more commonly found in the popular entertaining field in Sri
Lanka,

"The most moving information I
gathered for my study comes from 'Manja', which emerged from the Kaberian
community. Their ancestors were brought down to Sri Lanka in the capacity of
slave labourers by the Portuguese in 1500 and then the British in 1800.

Customs

Though mixed with other Sri Lankans from
time to time this community still gets marginalised from the rest of society.

But they still treasure their customs
especially their musical chords and dancing steps inherited from Portuguese.

They still live in underprivileged
conditions.

And if one wants to write about them it
would be another full feature!" said Vasana.

About Chorus Baila, Vasana said that 'The
Gypsies' are in the forefront. "And the credit of bringing all the novel
ideas to the entertainment field in the Sinhala 'Baila' music industry of this
country should be given to 'Gypsies' leader Sunil Perera. Since I feel it is an
essential issue to study the 'gender Baila' as well, the work of the female
Baila singers like Mariazelle Goonetilleke and Corinne Almeida should also be
appreciated," she said.

Vasana points out that the Latin American
and Caribbean music is fading away from the places of its origin. "But, it
is still alive and well preserved in some of the former colonies of those
countries like Sri Lanka and Goa (India)".

Why is that?

"That's what I want to find
out," she said. Vasana hopes to continue her research on the same subject
in Goa, Malaysia and Singapore where the Latin American influence is still
evident.

"Also I hope to do a full study from
Buddhist Pirith chanting to local folk music in the future," she concluded.